Aftermath: The Party
by Aliquis
Summary: Sequel to: "Cool". In the aftermath of Miranda's first boygirl party, Miranda contemplates the dance she and Larry Tudgeman shared. MSLT


Disclaimer: I do not own Lizzie McGuire. Obviously.  
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Aftermath: The Party  
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The party was over, and streamers lay long and forgotten over the cold tile floor. The lights were low, and the CD player was playing its last song softly over Miranda's thoughts.   
What was wrong with her? She held herself loosely, moving her fingers absently over her elbows. It hadn't been like this before. She hadn't felt this way before.  
  
Almost feeling like she should be doing something, Miranda jumped up from her seat and went to pick up the various pop bottles laying strewn across the tables and chairs. Her party was a hit, but if the cleanup was going to be this rigorous, she would have to think twice about another one. Miranda smirked. At least for a little while.   
  
Sliding various the plastic cups and paper plates into the trash cans that lay empty and forgotten by the punch table, Miranda sighed, slumping against the edge of the table. The white cloth was still warm from the gathered heat of the people that had been there dancing ten minutes earlier. She stroked the material wistfully. The night had gone by so smoothly, she had hardly felt the passing of time go by. Everyone came, Kate didn't bother her too much, and, even better, Ethan asked her to a dance. Ethan! Miranda felt her smile fall slightly. Though, there was still someone who plagued her thoughts ever since his departure. Someone who had made a major impact on her that night, and for some unidentifiable reason, was haunting her thoughts right now.   
  
Larry Tudgeman.   
  
Had it only been ten--no eleven minutes since she had last seen him? It seemed like one long forever; and that scared her. Miranda twirled her hair slightly, watching the raven strands bunch tightly together and then release into a fan that blocked her vision momentarily. She blew the lock away. Everything was confusing her right now. She wasn't supposed to be wondering what Larry was doing or thinking, and she certainly wasn't supposed to be sitting here moping. She blew a frustrated breath of air out in a strained growl. But was she really moping?   
  
Miranda went into the center of the empty dance floor and twirled herself, feeling half stupid with the action. Kicking her feet against the floor, Miranda hummed the tune to the song playing behind her.  
  
"In his eyes I can see, where my heart longs to be." She stared off into space. Unwillingly, her mind turned to Larry and how his eyes had been so dark and so...breathtaking. Every move he had made was suave, and even his "Space Feet" jokes--no, wait, fleet, she corrected herself--were cute. Really! None of those things even appealed to her, and yet, the more she thought about it, because they were so unknown and different it made it slightly more interesting. Or maybe it was him. She thought with revelation shining in her eyes.  
  
Oh, no._ Oh, no!_ She was not going to fall for Larry Tudgeman! Everything about him screamed "geek". There were no redeeming qualities. None! Well, except for when he held her hand.   
  
Miranda made a sound halfway between a growl and a sigh, plopping down in the middle of her makeshift dance floor. The stairs creaked from behind her.  
  
"Miranda, sweetie, what are you almost done with your cleaning?" Miranda looked over her shoulder at her Mom, who stood looking at her with concern and curiosity. Miranda blushed, and shot up from the floor, wiping off her skirt.  
  
"Er--basically, Mom." She sighed, throwing away the last pop can into the trash.  
  
The older woman stared at her daughter in contemplative silence before carefully choosing her words, "So, the party went well?"  
  
Miranda pushed a smile to her lips, though it wasn't all fake, and said in a high pitched voice, "Oh, it was great! Thanks again for letting me have it, though I don't think I'm gong to want to clean this much up ever again."  
  
Her Mom laughed, "Just wait till you are married, _mi Hija_. Well, when you are ready, come upstairs. It's late." And she left.  
  
Blushing from head to toe at the idea of "marriage" and the lasting image of Larry Tudgeman clashing in her mind, Miranda shook her head and cleared her throat, moving to turn off the CD player. Pausing slightly, she listened to the ending lyrics with a smile, deciding that maybe she would be a little nicer to Larry from now on. A lot nicer.  
  
_Everything worth living for is there in his eyes._  
  
  
  
** FIN**  
  
© Nina 2003. All rights reserved.  
  



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